KARACHI — The Trading Corporation of Pakistan has named Bunge SA of Switzerland as the lowest evaluated bidder in its international tender for 185,000 metric tonnes of wheat, as the state trading agency assesses offers for the latest phase of Pakistan’s wheat imports.
The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority’s final evaluation record lists Bunge as the lowest bidder after the tender closed on September 28. Reporting on the evaluation puts Bunge’s Karachi price at $339.36 per tonne, cost and freight, while a Gwadar delivery price was reported at $340.36 per tonne.
The figure is an evaluated bid, not a completed purchase price. TCP has not announced an award for the full tender, so the $339.36 rate should not be read as confirmation that 185,000 tonnes have been bought at that price.
Twelve responsive offers
PPRA’s evaluation record says the tender sought 185,000 tonnes of wheat, with a plus-or-minus 10% more-or-less seller’s option, for delivery in bulk to Karachi and/or Gwadar. The wheat is to be from the latest 2026 crop year.
The evaluation record lists 12 bids received and identifies Bunge as the lowest bidder. Separate reporting on TCP’s detailed evaluation said 13 participants submitted bids, with 12 found technically and financially responsive and one declared non-responsive. The responsive prices ranged from $339.36 to $354.83 per tonne.
Bunge’s lowest evaluated offer was reported for about 60,000 tonnes. Other evaluated offers included Olam at $341.88 per tonne and Ameropa at $343.47 per tonne, while prices extended into the mid-$350s among the higher offers.
Lower than the earlier purchase
The latest lowest evaluated price is $9.47 per tonne below the $348.83 rate at which TCP earlier finalised purchases of 365,000 tonnes under a previous wheat tender.
That earlier procurement formed part of the government’s effort to meet a wheat supply requirement through imports. The current tender covers another 185,000 tonnes, bringing the combined targeted quantity from the two exercises to about 550,000 tonnes before allowing for tender tolerances.
The new tender was advertised on September 20 and closed at 11:30am on September 28. PPRA classifies it as an international procurement using the single-stage, two-envelope procedure and cites wheat imports to meet a demand-supply gap as the justification.
Evaluation is not an award
The publication of a final evaluation report is an important procurement milestone because it establishes how the submitted bids were assessed. It does not by itself mean TCP has entered into purchase contracts with the lowest evaluated bidder or other suppliers.
Any final procurement decision, quantities accepted and delivery allocation will depend on TCP’s subsequent award process and the tender terms. Until that is announced, the defensible reading of the latest development is that Bunge has emerged as the lowest evaluated bidder at the Karachi rate of $339.36 per tonne.